Cleaning and applicating apparatus



June 2, 1959 E. A. TWERDAHL 1 2,888,701

CLEANING AND APPLICATING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 29, 1953 v INVENT0R.

United States Patent Q 2,888,701 AND APPLICATING APPARATUS Edward A. Twerdahl, Evanston, Ill. Application December 29, 1953, Serial No. 401,001 4' 'Claims. 01. 15-244 The present invention relates to a household cleaning and applicating device and more particularly to improved apparatus capable of performing a number of common household functions while at the same time reducing the drudgery ordinarily attendant with work of this type. Specifically the prment invention is acontinuation-in-part of applicants copending application Serial No. 698,275, filed September 20, 1946, now Patent No. 2,664,584, issued January 5, 1954.

In recent years the old fashioned string mop which was commonly employed for mopping and cleaning floors has been replaced by sponge. type mops which, because of their improved absorbent qualities and other characteristics, represent a distinct improvement over the prior devices. Due to the extremely high cost of natural sponges, these sponge type mops have generally employed mopping elements formed of the so-called synthetic sponges. conventionally, these synthetic sponge elements are rectangular in shape and are mounted upon a suitable mop head by an adhesive backing or the like which permanently afixes the entire top surface of the elementto the bottom of the head. Affixing sponge elements in this manner is not entirely satisfactory in that, when the elements are immersed in water and soap is applied thereto, the sponge tends to shrink to a considerable extent thus breaking the adhesive bond between the element and the mop head. Consequently, the sponge begins to curl away from the mop head and the useful life of the mop is appreciably shortened. This shrinkage problem becomes even more acute when the mop is used, as is quite common, for applying wax to linoleum or floor sur- 'faces since the wax normally retained by the sponge hardens and increases distortion in the shape of the sponge even more than is the case when soap and water are .used. When the mopping sponge begins to tear away from its supporting surface as. it is prone to do in mops of prior design it becomes necessary to replace the entire mop at considerable expense, and the user is unable to salvage even those parts of the mop which are free from defects. Thus, it is desirable to provide a mop employing mopping elements which are secured to the mop head in such manner that the aforementioned difficulties arising from shrinkage are obviated.

A further disadvantage of mops having their sponge elements permanently aflixed to the mop head resides in the fact that generally a number of such mops or other utensils are required to perform all of the different household cleaning tasks normally encountered in the home. Thus, for example, a device which is used for mopping the floor with soap and water cannot be used for applying wax to the floor surface and vice versa, for the reason that the sponge element usually retains some of the soap \01' some of the wax, whichever the case may be. Heretofore separate devices have been used for performing these two tasks. Furthermore, in addition to a wax applicator and a soap and water mop, the housekeeper generally requires separate devices for performing such functions as polishing or bufling the waxed floor and for 2 dusting floors and walls. Obviously, it would be advantageous to provide a single device which could be readily and cheaply converted to an apparatus for performing all of the aforementioned functions, I

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved, simple and low cost mopping apparatus of light easily portable construction which completely obviates all of the above described operational disadvantages.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved mop construction which permits quick and easy replacement of the mopping element, is easy to manipulate and may be squeezed dry when foot pressure is applied thereto, thus minimizing the energy expended by the operator in removing moisture from the mopping element.

According to a still further object of the invention an improved mop construction is provided employing a sponge type mopping element in which the inherent shrinkage normally encountered in the use of elements of this type does not cause the mopping element to draw away from the mop head to which it is. attached.

According to a still further object of the invention, an improved cleaning apparatus is provided which permits quick and easy replacement of its cleaning or applicating element so that the apparatus may be rendered capable of performing a variety of household functions.

The invention both as to its organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational perspective view of a new and improved cleaning and applicating device characterized by the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a full sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 in Fig. 2 further illustrating the cleaning and applicating device.

Referring now to the drawings and, more specifically, to Fig. 1 thereof, the new and improved cleaning and applicating device comprises a combination support and squeezing plate 120 of substantially rectangular configuration and a mopping attachment adapted to be detachably secured to the plate. The plate is mounted upon the externally threaded end of mop handle 122 by means of a threaded socket element 121 secured to the plate 120 in any suitable manner as by the rivets 121a. The mopping attachment 120 includes a mopping element 123 secured to a flexible backing element 124 which may be formed of fabric such as canvas or the like on may be made of plastic. The backing element 124 preferably includes a pair of free extensions extending downwardly from the plate 120 along opposed front and rear sides of the mopping element 123 and each having suitable openings at spaced points therealong. In order to secure the mopping element 123 to the backing element 124, a pair of laces 127a and 12712 extend back and forth through the mopping element and through the aligned openings in the extensions 124a and 124b. The ends of the laces 127a and 127b may be tied together and adjusted from time to time to keep the mop element in firm engagement with the backing 124 despite any change in size or shape of the mopping element as a result of shrinkage. In passing back and forth through the mop ping element 123, the lacing follows a plurality of parallel substantially straight paths extending transversely of the long side of the mopping element and thus any shrinkage of the mopping element occurs along the laces and may be corrected by drawing the laces taut.

For the purpose of securing the backing element 124 to the plate 120 a plurality of pockets for accommodating the two front corners of the plate are formed on the upper, side of the backing element by means of triangularly shaped flexible material 125 secured or bonded 'along two edges 125a and 125b to the backing element vIn order to secure the attachment 1.10 to the plate 120 h after the corners of the plate have been inserted within the triangular pockets, the backing element 124 may be provided with a pair of flexible strap 128 which are adapted to wrap around the rear edge of the plate 120 and to be detachably secured to the top of the plate by means of cooperable members 126 and 127 respectively disposed on the upper side of the plate 120 and on each of the straps 128, best shown in Fig. 2. As illustrated,

these cooperable members consist of a pair of snap 127 afiixed to the upper side of the plate 120 preferably equidistant from the socket 121 and a snap receiving socket 126 secured to each of the straps 128, although it will be apparent that, if desired, other means such as a button and buttonhole could be provided to effect the same results. For the purpose of forcing the plate 120 toward a mop 129a and 130a which prevent the foot of the user from -slipping off of the steps when the mopping element 123 is compressed between the ing surface.

From the foregoing explanation it i readily apparent plate 120 and the mop squeezthat if a device having a sponge element is desired for use p p in, either waxing or scrubbing floor surfaces, the user shrink when the liquid absorbed thereby evaporate and the element is dry it will be seen that the shrinkage occurs along the laces 127a and 12712 and thus the mopping element 123 may be maintained in firm engagement with the backing element 124 by drawing the laces tight. The elimination of the adhesive bond between the plate 120 and the mopping element 123 eliminates any tendency of the mopping element to curl and, consequently, the useful life of the mopping element is appreciably lengthened. Thus, the problem of mop element shrinkage which normally renders the mop useles after a relatively shortperiod is completely obviated by interconnecting the mopping element and the plate 120 in the manner of the present invention. In the event that the mopping element 123 deteriorates due to long and continued use it is neces- In the event that the mopping element 123 tends to g sary only to replace the cleaning attachment inc1uding the mopping element, the flexible backing 124 and its associated pockets and straps, thereby permitting the consumer to salvage for further use the mop handle 122, the plate and its associated socket and steps. Since these latter elements are generally the most expensive parts of the mop it will be appreciated that a considerable saving is realized-in the event that replacement of the mopping element becomes necessary.

It should be understood that the consumer may purchase at least two cleaning attachments 110 of the type illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, one of which may be used to apply wax to floor surfaces and the second of which may be used in scrubbing floors with soap'and water. The same mop handle and plate 120 may, of course, be used regardless of which ofthese function is being performed.

From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that the present improved mop construction represents a distinct advance in the art in that it serves completely to .obviate several of the foremost disadvantages ,of prior devices of this type. Thus, thi invention completely obviates the problem normally presented by shrinking of the mop element and thus avoids the necessity for frequent replacement. If, however, replacement is required the present invention considerably reduces the cost thereof by enabling the user to salvage the mop plate and the mop handle which ordinarily will provide many years of acceptable service. Moreover, the structure is simple in. the extreme and all components thereof are capable of 'being'nianufactured and assembled through the use of low cost high speed' production methods. The apparatus is of. very rugged construction and thus will withstand hard usage for an extended period of time requiring only the replacement of the cleaning element.

e aparticular embodiment of the invention has 'beendescribed, it will be understood that various modifications maybe made therein which are-within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to Letters Patent of the United States is:

1'. A cleaning attachment for use with a support, said attachment comprising a flexible, relatively soft backing including means defining a pocketed portion on its upper be secured by I face fin-receiving said support, means on said flexible backing cooperating with said pocketed portion to secure the backing to the support, a porous cleaning or applicating element of generally elongated shapecarried on the underside of said flexible backing, said flexible backing having extensions extending along and lying flush against the upper elongated edges of said element, and at least one lace extending back and forth between said extensions at spaced points therealong and extending through saidelement to secure said element to the backing 2. The combination defined by claim 1 wherein the backing is provided with means defining a pair of pocketed portions at two of the corners of its upper face for respectively receiving spaced apart portions of the support.

3. The combination defined by claim -1 wherein the backing includes a pair of flexible straps secured at one end to the backing for extending over the supportran'd wherein each strap includes a fastener near its free end for securing the backing to the support. 4. The combination defined by claim 2 wherein the backing includes a pair of flexible straps secured at one end to the backing for extending over the support and wherein each strap includes a fastener near its free end. for securing the backing to the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent 7' V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,052 Muckenhirn- Sept. 14,1937 2,114,891 Vaughn Apr. 19,1938 2,255,091 Vaughn Sep t.'9, 1941 2,298,320 Vaughn Oct. 13, 1942 2,443,277 Simor June 15, 1948 2,691,185 Jones Oct. 12, 1954 2,703,424 Nicoli Mar. '8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 9 599,029 France Oct. 12, 1925 448,239 Great Britain June 3, 1936 

